2017 State Of Origin Teams

State Of Origin Teams News

2016 State of Origin Game 3 betting pegs New South Wales as clear $1.87 favourites to defeat Queensland ($2.10), despite the Blues having already lost the series. That’s the tale of the tape with leading online bookie , who have installed the Blues as favourites to stop a potential Queensland…

STATE OF ORIGIN TEAMS

The State of Origin is a heated battle between Queensland and New South Wales and is one of the most glorified sporting events in Australia. Each year thousands of rugby league fans wear either maroon or blue State of Origin jerseys in support of their team and at each of the three matches, the stadiums are packed to the brim with spectators. The skills needed to play in the State of Origin are above the standard NRL playing skills and there is a huge amount of pressure for players on either side to perform at their best for their state.

The idea of the State of Origin originated in 1979 when Sydney clubs were attracting the best Queensland footballers to their side due to the state’s financial power. As a consequence, there was little interstate competition as the level of quality players was much higher in New South Wales than in Queensland. Queensland Senator Ron Macauliffe noticed this problem and set out to create a game where players were required to represent the state in which they first played senior football. Although the idea was supported by Kevin Humphreys, other NSWRL clubs were not as keen on the idea however with some encouragement from the Senator, the game took off in 1980. This was the birth of Rugby League State of Origin.

With Arthur Beetson as the first Queensland State of Origin captain, the maroons won 20-10 in what was one of the biggest rugby league games of the year. Since then, the State of Origin has become the leading rugby league game on the east coast and is one of the biggest sports watched on television. Odds on the State of Origin fluctuate from year to year depending on who can field the best squad. But it’s fair to say that over the last decade the Queensland Maroons are consistent favourites.

To become a player in the State of Origin, players must be eligible to represent Australia at an international level and must play for the state in which they first played senior football for. The two leagues involved are the Queensland Rugby League and the New South Wales Rugby League. Over the years, these two leagues have produced some the of most incredible State of Origin players Australia has ever seen including Wally Lewis, Michael O’Connor, Andrew Johns and Mal Meninga.

State of Origin has a long and rich history, much documented by Rugby League historians from both states and elsewhere. While it has little impact on odds, punters love to go through their history more so for nostalgic purposes than to get any advantage in their betting.

Queensland

Queensland’s greatest victory arose in the 1989 Game #1 at Lang Park on May 23. The Maroons won by 30 points with a final score of 36-6. The five greatest names associated with the Queensland team have to be Allan Langer, Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis, Petero Civoniceva and Darren Lockyer. Lockyer appeared in a record 36 State of Origin games, followed by Langer with 34, Civoniceva with 33, Meninga with 32 and Lewis with 31. However it is Wally Lewis who held 29 captaincies during his Origin career followed by Lockyer with 22 and Meninga with 9.

Between 1980 and 1994, Mal Meninga managed to score a total of 161 points during his Origin career, setting a new record which is yet to be beaten. He also holds the record for the most amount of goals with the footy legend scoring 69 goals in 14 years, punters who bet on Mal deserve a medal. Dale Shearer is remembered for scoring a record total of 11 tries between 1985 and 1996; and has since been usurped by Greg Inglis who scored 15 tries between 2006 and 2013, and is yet to retire.

New South Wales

The Blues played their greatest game in 2000 when they annihilated Queensland 56-16 during game #3 at Stadium Australia on June 7. With a total of 31 matches under his belt, Brad Fittler was the most successful State of Origin player with an impressive career spanning between 1990 and 2004. Following Fittler is Andrew Ettingshausen who played a total of 27 matches between 1987 and 1998. On the New South Wales side, the greatest player of all time is Michael O’Connor who blitzed the NSW record book with a total of 129 points, 11 tries and 42 goals during his amazing Origin career.